Producers of Virtual Games TV, Vermantia and Kiron Interactive, have launched their joint virtual games service with two operators in Uganda.

Virtual Games TV is a satellite channel dedicated to virtual games, showcasing sports including Horses, Dogs, Football, Motor-racing and Cycling, and soon additional sports such as Keno.

The virtual solution will be launched in 130 shops during the initial phase, rising to 500 by the end of the year.

The roll-out, with betting shop operators Kings Bet and BETnSPORT, follows a similar deal earlier this month to provide the virtual service to Nairabet, becoming the first retail bookmakers in the country to launch the service.

The round up from the second day of the 46th Annual World Series of Poker sees Brandon Barnette winning the first bracelet of the series, and a true hero leading the $5k No-Limit Hold’em event with 20-players remaining.

True to form, the first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet of 2015 has been handed to a casino employee.

Brandon Barnette’s pocket eights rivering a full house to sink the pocket fours of his heads-up opponent Greg Seiden, handing him victory and $75,704 in prize money.

According to Hendon Mob this was Barnette’s first live tournament score. His virginal tournament win was a wise choice. Barnette wasn’t the only player to reach the final table with very little experience. Only Phi Tran, Thomas McFadden Jr, and Chris Jones came into the final with larger scores than they eventually settled for.

US federal prosecutors aren’t willing to let accused online sports betting operator Wei Seng ‘Paul’ Phua leave the country while his trial is pending, whether or not he leaves behind his $48m Gulfstream jet as collateral.

Friday saw prosecutors attempting to salvage their case against Phua after US District Judge Andrew Gordon tossed the overwhelming bulk of their evidence on Tuesday. At the same time, Phua’s attorneys attempted to convince Gordon to let their client return to his native Malaysia to see his mother, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and hasn’t seen her son since he was arrested in Las Vegas last July for allegedly running an illegal online sports betting operation.

The other seven defendants arrested along with Phua have long since left the United States; six reached plea deals with the government while charges against one defendant were dropped. But Phua chose to remain under house arrest in Vegas for the past 10 months, believing – correctly, as it turns out – that the courts would deem the FBI’s questionable evidence-gathering techniques to be unconstitutional.

On Friday, prosecutors protested Phua’s desire to leave the country, arguing that since Phua doesn’t hold a valid visa, he might not be allowed back in. Phua’s attorneys scoffed at this “disingenuous” argument, pointing out that it was hardly beyond the Department of Justice’s ability to have a quiet chat with customs officials regarding the need to let Phua re-enter the country.

The California Gambling Control Commission has lost its second member in as many weeks as conflict of interest allegations continue to swirl around the gaming regulator’s membership.

On Thursday, Commission chairman Richard Lopes (pictured) announced his retirement from the regulatory body, despite having just been reappointed to the role in January. Lopes’ current term was supposed to extend through 2018 (at $138k per year) but the San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Lopes saying he had notified the Commission of his intentions back in March.

Lopes explained his decision to head for the exits by saying he’d just reached his eligible retirement age of 50, had survived a cancer scare and was “eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in my life.”

Lopes made no mention of the growing brouhaha over the investigation into alleged profit skimming at San Jose cardroom Casino M8trix and the resulting allegations of conflict of interest that have followed some Commission members. Earlier this month, executive director Tina Littleton also announced her resignation, leaving the Commission with just three remaining members.

Nevada casinos broke a two-month losing streak in April as gaming revenue rose 5.4% to $898m.

The performance was even better on the Las Vegas Strip, which posted its best April monthly revenue in seven years. Figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board showed Strip revenue up 7.8% to $499m while downtown Vegas rose 12.5% to $49.6m.

Baccarat handle was up 14% on the Strip and statewide revenue rose 5.6% to $95.5m, good enough to edge out blackjack, which gained 12.9% to $81.8m. The rest of the table games finished thusly: craps ($30.1m, +9.4%), roulette ($22.4m, -4.6%), three-card poker ($11.9m, +1.4%), pai gow poker ($7.9m, +1%), mini-baccarat ($7m, +46.3%), let it ride ($2.7m, -17.1%), keno ($2m, +1.8%), pai gow ($1.4m, +17.6%) and other games ($13.7m, +15%). Poker revenue fell 3.2% to $8.5m and slots rose 6% to $601.5m).

Nevada sportsbooks saw revenue fall 14.3% to $7.9m. Baseball was the star performer, with win improving nearly 50% year-on-year to $6.7m on a 7.16% hold. Basketball betting handle hit a record $123.1m but a dismal 1.71% hold – compared to 5.31% last April – resulted in winnings of just $2.1m, down nearly 59% year-on-year.